1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a manipulator for a game machine, and more particularly to a manipulator for a game machine which is used in a television game machine, a video game machine with display, or the like to which a cartridge storing a game program is detachably attached and which executes the process for the game by reading out the game program from the cartridge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Manipulators for game machines (so called game controllers) to be used in a television game or the like known hitherto include the joy stick type as disclosed in the Japanese Laid-open patent No. 58-225,515 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,438; hereinafter called prior art 1), and the joy pad type as disclosed in the Japanese Laid-open Utility Model No. 4-42,029 (corresponding to U.S. Pat No. 5,207,426; hereinafter called prior art 2). In prior art 1, the main body housing is held by a non-dexterous hand, and a control rod (handle) is held by the dexterous hand, and by tilting the wrist in this state, the moving direction of the character is instructed. In prior art 2, on a flat housing that can be held by both hands, a plurality of operation switches for direction instruction and action instruction are arranged.
In prior art 1, in order to manipulate the control rod by tilting the wrist,the main body must be always held stably. However, for use in the game, it is necessary to manipulate action instructing switches for instructing various actions, and usually these switches are provided at the main body side, and are hence manipulated by the hand holding the main body. It is therefore difficult to hold the main body stably while manipulating the action instructing switches, and it is hard to manipulate. If the action instructing switches are provided in the control rod, since the direction is instructed by tilting the wrist, the hand become fatigued after a long use, and the controllability is poor.
In prior art 2, it is designed to be held by both hands, and the operation switches can be manipulated without changing the palm holding state, and the problems in prior art 1 were solved and stable manipulation was possible. However, since the shape is flat, it has few positions to be caught by hand or finger, and it often slips out of hands during operation, or the holding position may be deviated to cause deviation in the configuration of the switches and fingers, and misoperations are likely to occur. It is thus necessary to hold the manipulator correctly on every occasion of misoperation by viewing, and correct the configuration of switches and fingers. As a result, a continuously running game is interrupted, and comfortable manipulation is not obtained. In particular, when used in the game machine with a goggle type display unit, to correct the finger position deviation by viewing the manipulator, the game machine with display unit must be removed from the head, which is very bothersome.
In a controller disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Utility Model No. 4-104,893 (hereinafter called prior art 3), since a grip is formed in the manipulator of prior art 2, it does not slip off during operation, and the holding position will not be deviated. In prior art 3, however, since the manipulation plane on which operation switches are formed projects ahead (to the player side) of the grip, the player must warp the thumb (in other words, by keeping the thumb root always in a tense state), and the thumb is fatigued and cannot withstand a long use. Besides, since the root of the thumb is always in tense state, the moving range of the thumb is limited, and the feel of manipulation is not comfortable.